You guys aren't going to be race drivers after three days here, but now you know lots about what's right and wrong on the racetrack."-Bondurant instructor
For many of us, the idea of getting into road racing for the first time is a little intimidating. Most of us are street enthusiasts or drag racers-and little or minimal effort is needed to make a few passes down the boulevard or pay at the gate, tech in, and bang off some quarter-mile blasts during time trials. It is just going straight, after all! But road racing gets complex. Not only are you placing your car in a much more dynamic position when wheeling around a race course, there's heel-and-toe downshifting, trail braking, apexes, as well as a host of other things you must master that you never had to worry about on the 1320. And let's not forget about all of the other cars on the course. Anyone who's ever seen one of those multi-million-dollar F1 smash-ups going into Turn 1 knows how complicated-and dangerous-road racing can get.
As GMHTP is blessed with the use of Raceway Park's brand-new road course at Englishtown, New Jersey, it was high time Editor Rick Jensen and Tech Editor Scott Parker got a proper road racing education. Thankfully, the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving was happy to teach us.
For those of you unfamiliar with Bondurant, it is one of the premier racing training centers in the world. Bob Bondurant started the school in 1968 after his professional racing career-which peaked when he was a Formula 1 driver for Ferrari-ended with a bad accident in 1967. Bob's tremendous talents as a race driver are now passed on worldwide to racing enthusiasts looking for the ultimate in car control. A whopping 8,000 students funnel through the school every year!
Bondurant offers a dizzying array of courses, ranging from military and executive security training to high-performance driving utilizing GMs like Pontiac Grand Prix, Cadillac CTS-Vs, and Corvette Z06s, and to 1- to 4-day Grand Prix Road Racing and Advanced Road Racing classes. We took the 3-day Grand Prix course, which combines classroom study, car control exercises, and real road racing against other class members in C5 Corvettes.
GMHTP: What fundamental approach or philosophy should aspiring racers employ, on and off the track?T.M.: Never stop learning, always be racing. Have the same mindset whether you are walking to your car in the parking lot or getting in line at the store.
GMHTP: What are common mistakes rookies make? T.M.: What I mentioned earlier about looking farther ahead-most drive right off the front of the car.
GMHTP: What mistakes do experienced drivers make?T.M.: Experienced drivers make more varied mistakes. It depends on the person.
GMHTP: Is there anything else you want the readers who might come to Bondurant to know?T.M.: It is for anyone to try. A lot of people think they are not good enough, but you should put that in the back seat.
Here, Tim is showing Rick how to negotiate Turns 5 through 8 at full throttle. Though you don't reach huge mph here, like in the front straight, this section is way scarier. | 
We all jump into the CTS instructor cars, and the pace car starts its laps. Here, Tim is giving final passing, signal, and flag instructions, and is getting ready to race the other CTSs. |
The pace car warms us up, and then we line up for our practice starts ... Green! Our drag racing backgrounds enable us to get a good jump on several students--but this ain't drag racing, and the slower cars in front can't be passed without serious life-and-limb consequences. After a couple more times we do it for real, and the class logs several all-out laps using every bit of our new-found skills. A few C5s go off into the dirt, but no collisions. | 
Before our final track session, we're given a car control and driving techniques test, and instructors answer any last-minute questions. |
Go! It's a full-on drag race to Turn 1, and we get a thrilling lesson on how to fit tens of thousands of dollars of GM muscle through the corners without wrecking them. Just when the euphoria is beginning to wear off, we jump into our C5s and get ready to do it ourselves. |  |